The Marion County Commis?sion Monday asked a Wichita company, Law Kingdon Inc., to come up with a proposal for next Monday?s meeting that, by an architect?s estimate, might result in a 72-bed, $8.5 million community correction center.

After an unusually long four-hour meeting that ended with more than an hour of executive session for personnel, the Marion City Council Monday voted on two 5-0 votes to delay action on reappointing City Administrator David Mayfield to office, and to accept the resignation in two weeks of Police Chief Michel Soyez.

Dancers from Corry Academy of Irish Dancers will perform at Saturday?s Spring Fling in Florence. Click photo to enlarge.

Florence is planning its annual Spring Fling for Satur?day, April 28, at the Florence Gym.

The event is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. with carnival games for kids, followed by performance by the award-winning Corry Academy of Irish Dancers from Andover at 4:30 p.m. The group will perform an hour of Irish dances.

Warren Kreutziger would like to see the same Marion County citizens who either supported or struggled against casino gambling last year show the same kind of energy in writing to Sen. Pat Roberts about expanding Cottonwood Point at Marion Reservoir.

If they would just do that, he said, this county would end up with a project of more guaranteed positive economic impact here in a shorter time than compared to almost any other project that could be done.

The county commissioners? decision to buy property in Pilsen was among the agenda items at Monday?s meeting.

The commissioners announced their purchase, after an executive session with Road and Bridge Director Jim Herzet, of the Bob Vinduska Machine Shop property in Pilsen, which includes 2.5 acres, for $28,000.

The commissioners explained the property will be used as a distant storage shed and parking place for county equipment.